Asbestos and Cancer

You can be exposed to asbestos in the office, your respective communities or even inside your domiciles. Once the minute asbestos fibers are released into the air, these can be inhaled by anybody and remain lodged in your lungs. This is the connection between asbestos and cancer.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has placed asbestos under the classification of an acknowledged human carcinogen which is a cancer-causing substance. The International Agency for research on Cancer and Environmental Protection Agency share this view.

The Link Between Asbestos and Cancer

Likewise, medical research findings disclosed that asbestos exposure can lead to lung cancer; colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers; gall bladder and esophagus diseases; and, throat and kidney tumors. Yet, the evidence remains uncertain. So far, mesothelioma is the most common variety of cancer that has been linked to exposure to asbestos. The diagnosis is commonly categorized according to pleura which can be found in the lining of the lungs; peritoneum which is in the coating of the abdominal cavity; and, pericardium which is in the inside layer of heart.

Asbestos and cancer diagnosis is not easy because the symptoms of the illness replicate other related disorders. Tools that can be used for diagnosis include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and CT scans for patience suspected of having cancer. Imaging scans can come up with a picture of the tumor. However, a biopsy may be needed to verify any diagnosis of mesothelioma compared to lung carcinoma. There is need to extract and drain the fluids through a process called pleurocentesis. This enables oncologists to check the fluid for presence of malignant cell in cases where pleural or peritoneal effusions are seen in the patient.

Asbestos Exposure Treatment

Treatment alternatives for asbestos disease can include a mixture of surgical operations, chemotherapy and radiation. Asbestos-related sarcoma may be hard to detect since the state of dormancy can continue until the tumor develops through the preliminary stages. Late stage cancers related to asbestos cannot be removed. Although the analysis of premature asbestos cancer is not common, those qualified for surgery will surely want this to be taken out. The medical process of adjuvant chemotherapy is often administered after surgery to complete the resection. Extensive surgeries are frequently used in trying to cure pleural asbestos cancer. Surgery is less common in malignant peritoneal and pericardial cancers. The origin of said tumor is hard to access without jeopardizing the patient’s life. Meanwhile, chemotherapy is the most frequently-used therapy to control asbestos and cancer.

Continuing scientific trials are continuously implemented to experiment on new drugs for the possible treatment of asbestos cancer. Latest trends show that medical researchers have made progress in finding out approved treatment systems for malignant pleural mesothelioma as well as peritoneal and pericardial cancers. The only chemotherapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pleural mesothelioma is a fusion of Alimta and Cisplatin which are both given intravenously. There is a total of 21 days between each injection. Lung cancers caused by asbestos can also be treated with chemotherapy. At present, there is a wide range of chemotherapy options available for cancer patients.